When I was a kid, portable audio speakers were rare and fairly poorly made. No one had started to make portable powered speakers yet, so the sound that you got was very weak and not very good. Basically, portable speakers only put out about as much sound as came through headphones. They could be cleverly designed so that they would carry through a small room, but that was about it. The sound was flat, tinny, and much too quiet.
Portable speakers, however, have come a long way since then. You can get basically anything from a portable speaker that you can from bigger home speaker systems except for the volume and some of the bass. Portable speakers actually have a surprising amount of power. I got some iPod portable speakers the other day, and I was blown away by how they sounded. They actually sound better than my stereo system, and I only bought that about five years ago. Although it is not a top-of-the-line system, it always sounded pretty good to me until now. After hearing those portable speakers, however, I wouldn't listen to anything else besides them.
Another great thing about portable flat panel speakers is how little room they take up. Back in the day, portable speakers were fairly bulky as well as inefficient. Nowadays, however, they take up very little room indeed. They have a smaller profile than your average novel, and can be fit conveniently into any travel bag if you are flying on an airline. This is a great advantage, because it allows you to take your portable speakers with you on vacation. It is much better than what you had to do in the 80s – lugging a boombox with you everywhere. Try getting that on a plan nowadays!
If you are looking for portable MP3 player speakers, the only way to go about it is to go to a store that lets you listen to them. Whatever you have heard, most portable speakers will last for a long time. Even if they are not exceptionally well made, there is so little that can break that, as long as you are careful with your portable speakers, you should have them for years. The big issue is not how they are made, but how they sound. Most stores will let you try out a floor model of their portable speaker systems, so you should definitely do this before you invest in a set.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Top 40 Music
Top 40 Music
Reaching number one in the charts is a big achievement, especially in America where the competition is fierce. Since the appearance of the music chart, top 40 music has dominated the radio airwaves and TV chart shows. Fans eagerly await the new listings to see if their favorite band has made it into the chart.
The music business is very fragmented now and there are all sorts of genres and sub genres. All purpose chart shows still exist but are less popular now. Fans of a particular type of music can tune into the MTV channel that provides it. In addition to the general charts for singles and albums, there are charts for R&B, country music and classical music. Top 40 music has never been so varied and contains guitar bands, hip hop artists and dance music etc.
The way that charts are compiled in the UK is changing and legal downloads are now taken into account. Some people never walk into a record store and buy over the counter, preferring to use the Internet instead. This new method will change the face of music charts. There is a phenomenon known as the 50 pounds man. He fits a demographic that describes a man between 35 to 50 years old, who has that amount of money to spend on CDs a month. He may buy new music or he may replace his scratchy vinyls from years ago with new CDs. Even 50 pounds man is starting to be computer savvy and downloading. With all age groups downloading, top 40 music will be totally different.
The charts are an international concern and it may be very lucrative to have a hit record in Japan or Germany. Trends come and go, music gets re-cycled and everyone waits for the next big thing to come along. Reality talent shows, such as American Idol and Pop Idol and X Factor in the UK have had an impact on the music scene. The winners and runners up of the shows have a short burst of success, often reaching the coveted number one spot, but they rarely have any staying power and generally fade into obscurity. Some winners have gone into acting careers.
There is still room however for the old warriors in top 40 music. Some artists have careers that span decades, such as David Bowie, Elton John and Paul McCartney. The ones that stick are often those who write their own material. These are the gifted songwriters, musicians who are not reliant on fashion or slick production techniques. Fans will have their own ideas on who will still be around in twenty or thirty years time from the current crop of artists.
Reaching number one in the charts is a big achievement, especially in America where the competition is fierce. Since the appearance of the music chart, top 40 music has dominated the radio airwaves and TV chart shows. Fans eagerly await the new listings to see if their favorite band has made it into the chart.
The music business is very fragmented now and there are all sorts of genres and sub genres. All purpose chart shows still exist but are less popular now. Fans of a particular type of music can tune into the MTV channel that provides it. In addition to the general charts for singles and albums, there are charts for R&B, country music and classical music. Top 40 music has never been so varied and contains guitar bands, hip hop artists and dance music etc.
The way that charts are compiled in the UK is changing and legal downloads are now taken into account. Some people never walk into a record store and buy over the counter, preferring to use the Internet instead. This new method will change the face of music charts. There is a phenomenon known as the 50 pounds man. He fits a demographic that describes a man between 35 to 50 years old, who has that amount of money to spend on CDs a month. He may buy new music or he may replace his scratchy vinyls from years ago with new CDs. Even 50 pounds man is starting to be computer savvy and downloading. With all age groups downloading, top 40 music will be totally different.
The charts are an international concern and it may be very lucrative to have a hit record in Japan or Germany. Trends come and go, music gets re-cycled and everyone waits for the next big thing to come along. Reality talent shows, such as American Idol and Pop Idol and X Factor in the UK have had an impact on the music scene. The winners and runners up of the shows have a short burst of success, often reaching the coveted number one spot, but they rarely have any staying power and generally fade into obscurity. Some winners have gone into acting careers.
There is still room however for the old warriors in top 40 music. Some artists have careers that span decades, such as David Bowie, Elton John and Paul McCartney. The ones that stick are often those who write their own material. These are the gifted songwriters, musicians who are not reliant on fashion or slick production techniques. Fans will have their own ideas on who will still be around in twenty or thirty years time from the current crop of artists.
Monday, March 26, 2007
ipod Downloads
Just came across the coolest ipod download site i have seen yet
Here are the ipod downloads
If you are like me then you will most definatyly find this to be an entertaining and great membership to be in :)
Here are the ipod downloads
If you are like me then you will most definatyly find this to be an entertaining and great membership to be in :)
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Do you Squidoo?
Do you Squidoo?
Squidoo.com is a social networking site that allows people to create a "lens" (page) about any topic. Many businesses are using these lenses to help try and build new business. Real estate agent Ken Smith has built up a few lenses that cover areas that he sells homes in. Here are a couple of them; Roselle, IL and Algonquin, IL. As you can see these lenses are built to give information about the city and then drive traffic to the main website to convert the leads.
By thinking outside of the "box" Ken had been able to increase his online exposure and capture new leads. So how can you use Squidoo to help build your brand?
Squidoo.com is a social networking site that allows people to create a "lens" (page) about any topic. Many businesses are using these lenses to help try and build new business. Real estate agent Ken Smith has built up a few lenses that cover areas that he sells homes in. Here are a couple of them; Roselle, IL and Algonquin, IL. As you can see these lenses are built to give information about the city and then drive traffic to the main website to convert the leads.
By thinking outside of the "box" Ken had been able to increase his online exposure and capture new leads. So how can you use Squidoo to help build your brand?
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